


One More Time

by ArgylePirateWD



Series: Tumblr Fic [2]
Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Infertility, Married Couple, Planned Pregnancy, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Test, Trying To Conceive, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 16:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6574183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgylePirateWD/pseuds/ArgylePirateWD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jo and Henry decide to have a baby. It isn't as easy as it sounds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One More Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Tumblr prompt: _Jo/Henry- Forever. No 18 Thanks_. #18 - Trying to get pregnant

"So, what are your magic doctor-y powers saying about this one?" Jo asked, and sat on the floor beside Henry. "Another negative?"

Henry replied with a quiet, "Hmm," and he wrapped an arm around her.

With a sigh, she let her head fall onto his shoulder. Each test always had the same result as the last, and every single time, Henry's disappointing guesses were right. Negative. Not pregnant yet.

 _One more time_ , she'd said, after a much-needed break. If it didn't happen this time, she was done. If it couldn't happen without doctors, it wouldn't happen, no matter how much she ached for it. _One last time._

But "hmm" wasn't an answer. "'Hmm?'" she said, pulling away and eying him. "What do you mean, 'hmm?' What does that even mean?"

"It means I don't want to get your hopes up," he said. "Jo, I've assisted countless pregnant women throughout my career, from shortly after conception to labor and beyond, and I—"

Jo cut him off with a sharp, "Yeah, I know—you're a doctor, you've been a doctor forever, you know all kinds of medical stuff, but that's not an answer. Get to the point."

God, she was so tired. This was exactly why they'd stopped trying the first time. _One more time,_ though. She could do it one more time. If it worked, it would be worth it. If it didn't...

"What are you thinking?" she said. "What's your gut telling you?"

Hopefully Henry's gut had a better answer than her queasy one, which kept saying, _Maybe, maybe not_ , whenever she questioned it. With all the wishing she'd done, she couldn't trust her own intuition anymore.

He seemed to be considering his words carefully. After a moment, he replied, "My gut is telling me that this time is different, and you are pregnant." Jo's heart skipped a beat, and her hand strayed to her belly, almost unconsciously. " _But_ ," he continued, "since I am hoping so desperately for this, I'm not completely sure I'm not so biased in favor of that result that I am seeing symptoms that are not present.

"My dear Jo." He reached out and cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the touch, closing her eyes as he caressed her skin. "I want nothing more than to give you everything you want. And since a child is what you want, then I shall do whatever it takes to help you have one. But I also don't want to hurt you with my wishful thinking."

"You are such a sap," she said, and she turned and kissed his palm. "You know, if anyone else tried to talk to me like that, I'd think they were full of crap and either roll my eyes or grab my gun."

"Or both," he said, and Jo laughed.

"Yeah, or both. But Henry? I'm a big girl. If you're wrong, and I'm not pregnant, I can handle it. I've done it before."

"I know," he said. "Trying to protect people is a long-standing habit of mine. Forgive me."

They settled into silence, her resting her head on his shoulder again, him holding her close. But her mind was far from quiet, bombarding her with insecurities and questions until her head hurt. Another negative would crush her heart, but what if it was positive? Would she be a good mother? Henry would be a fantastic dad—Abe proved that—but what about her?

She wiped her sweating hands on the legs of her pajamas, and began toying with the ring on her finger, twisting it and fidgeting. Was having a kid even a good idea? Every day, she saw some of the worst that humanity had to offer. So much violence, so much death, all of it pointless as hell. And she wanted to bring another innocent person into it? What if she couldn't protect them?

 _This is a bad idea_ , she almost blurted out, but she bit her lip and swallowed the words with the acid rising in her throat. Maybe there was a reason she hadn't gotten pregnant as quickly as other women in her family. Maybe she shouldn't have a baby. Was she too old? She was probably too old, wasn't she? "Henry…"

"It's going to be all right," he said, and rubbed her arm. "I promise."

"Okay," she snapped, "how are you so calm right now?"

"Oh, inside, I am likely as much of a wreck as you," he said. "Every time I take a breath, I'm having to remind myself how. Inhale oxygen, exhale carbon dioxide. In, out. Then I start thinking of you probably being pregnant, and me becoming a father again, and it all turns into one big mess, and…Jo, trust me. You're not the only one who isn't calm right now."

Realizing how cranky she sounded, she said, "You're right. Of course I'm not. Sorry."

Henry kissed the top of her head. "No need to apologize. I understand."

"No, Henry, I just…I want this so bad, but I'm so nervous, and—"

She turned to say more, but he was looking at her with such tender affection that the words faded away. He tilted his head, inquisitive as always, and she laid her hand on his chest. "Thank you for being here."

He placed a hand atop hers, giving her a soft smile. "I don't want to be anywhere else."

Inside the bathroom, the timer beeped. Both of them jumped, and Jo's stomach lurched. She dropped her hand from his chest to her belly, and she took a deep, calming breath. _You can handle this_ , she told herself, gulping down her nausea. _You're a cop. You've faced all kinds of scary crap. You've got this._

"You ready?" she asked, untangling herself from Henry's arms and getting to her feet. "Because I'm not."

"It's going to be fine," he said, standing up beside her. "Whatever the results, you have my support."

"I know." She reached for his hand, and his met hers halfway. They linked their fingers together. "We're partners."

"Partners," he said, with a nod, and he kissed her lips. "Now, shall we?"

Stepping into the large bathroom felt like stepping into a cramped jail cell. Even though she wanted a baby so much her entire soul _hurt_ , her legs itched to flee, and her heart threatened to break free from her chest. A white, plastic stick stood between her and the future, and though she'd faced down countless armed criminals, she found herself afraid to pick up one little goddamn stick.

But she wasn't alone. She had Henry at her back, a steady and, for once, quiet source of support. They were in this together, them against the world and the terrifying pregnancy test. Whether heartbreak or eighteen years of the unknown lay ahead, she didn't have to tackle it alone.

 _Please, let it be positive_ , she prayed. _Please, please, please…_

Henry squeezed her shaking hand, and, holding her breath, she finally dared to check the results. Two pink lines instead of one. Positive. Pregnant. 

"Oh my God," she murmured, her knees going weak. A giddy laugh bubbled up from inside her, and she buried it against Henry's chest. She was _pregnant_ , what the hell? 

Henry took the test from her nerveless fingers, and she looked up at him, waiting for his reaction. His eyes widened, then a brilliant grin spread across his face. "We did it." 

"Yes, we did." Her laughter turned to joyous tears, and Henry set the test aside and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Absolutely amazing." He kissed her cheeks, her lips, her forehead and eyelids and chin, saying her name, along with words like "remarkable" and "amazing." Then, he sank to his knees and reached for the bottom of her sweatshirt, stopping himself before he touched it. "May I?"

Jo nodded, and wiped her eyes with the ends of her sleeves. "Yeah, of course."

Permission granted, Henry pulled up her baggy shirt, exposing her midriff. Except for some uncomfortable bloating, her shape hadn't changed yet. There was nothing to see, yet he still looked at her with awe in his damp eyes. He kissed her lower belly, and her muscles twitched beneath the ticklish brush of his lips and his stubble. He kissed her again.

"We're having a child, Jo," he said, sounding gleeful and stunned, and he tapped a finger on her belly. "A lucky little baby is growing in there right now. Our baby."

She laughed. "Another brilliant deduction, Dr. Morgan," she teased, and combed her fingers through his soft hair. Would their kid have his curls, she wondered. "Try not to let this one go to your head."

"It won't. I promise." He chuckled. "But I dare say, I _do_ know a thing or two about biology, Detective Martinez." When she feigned annoyance, his gaze went soft, and he pressed another kiss to her bare skin. "And I am so happy to have been right this time."


End file.
